Dear St. Peter Family,
This week I received a document that was developed in partnership with the IL State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Health regarding the transition to the opening of schools in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan set by our Governor. It outlines that appropriate social distancing, face coverings, enhanced sanitation measures and other accommodations are necessary to ensure the safety of students, staff and their families. We have just entered Phase 4 and the Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines state:
- Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including face coverings are required;
- Gatherings of more than 50 people in one gathering space are prohibited;
- Social distancing requirements are to be observed as much as possible;
- Schools are required to conduct symptom screenings and temperature checks or require that individuals self-certify that they are free of symptoms before entering the school buildings;
- Enhanced school wide cleaning and disinfection is necessary
All public and nonpublic schools in Illinois are required to follow these guidelines and they are subject to change based on updated public health guidance and changing public health conditions.
It looks like there will be no more “snow days”. Within the next month you will receive, our plan for possible remote learning days. It will be similar to the plan we adopted this past spring for at home instruction. If we are unable to be in attendance in our building due to a resurgence of the virus or a second wave of it, our remote learning plan will go into effect. Remote learning will be similar to what we did this past spring. Daily attendance and engagement of students will be expected whether students are in class in-person or remotely. It is important for teachers and students to maintain their daily contact so that education can be enhanced.
Our custodial staff is busy preparing for our August 17 opening of school. We are blessed to have a building that lends itself well to our new state requirements so that in-person learning can occur. We are anxiously preparing and are equally anxious to welcome you back as we look forward to being together once again.